terminate the call

USAGE SUMMARY

"terminate the call" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it in contexts related to phone conversations, especially in formal or technical settings. Example: "If the issue persists, I will have to terminate the call." Alternative expressions include "end the call" and "disconnect the call."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

When your call goes into voice mail, you can't hang up by a voice command; you must physically terminate the call.

The New York Times

That sends me over the edge so I hiss, "No, no, you're not getting any money back from me," and terminate the call.

Vice

If the caller refuses to provide this information, customers should terminate the call and report the incident immediately to local police or SCE at [phone]". Police are looking into a similar case involving another dry cleaning store, Callus said.

Los Angeles Times

The resident also had the opportunity to terminate the call at anytime by using a large red stop button positioned on Giraff.

BMC Geriatrics

Once you're through, just tap the red phone icon you see on the call screen to instantly terminate the call session.

WikiHow

If you use a VoIP service to connect you to a traditional telephone, the call travels mostly across the internet but pops out onto the local phone network at the other end; the owner of that network then charges a fee to deliver, or "terminate", the call, typically no more than a local call.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

They employed an off the shelf PBX system to terminate the calls.

TechCrunch

He abruptly terminated the call.

The New York Times - Sports

The crew eventually took over and I terminated the call.

The Guardian

When pressed for this basic detail, Glover terminated the call.

The Guardian - Money

This prevents the offender from bothering the next household on the call list until the offender terminates the call.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Reserve more idiomatic expressions like "hang up" for creative writing or informal emails to maintain a natural tone.

Common error

Avoid using "terminate the call" to describe an accidental line failure. For technical glitches where the link is lost involuntarily, use "the call dropped" or "was disconnected" instead, as "terminate" implies a deliberate action by a person or a system.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "terminate the call" functions as a transitive verb phrase. It consists of the base verb "terminate" and the noun phrase "the call" which serves as the direct object. In Ludwig AI samples, it is consistently used to describe the act of intentionally concluding a telephonic or digital communication session.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Academia

5%

Wiki

3%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "terminate the call" is a precise and grammatically correct verb phrase primarily found in professional, technical and journalistic contexts. Ludwig AI shows that while it is perfectly interchangeable with more common terms like end the call, it carries a more clinical or official tone. It is especially prevalent in discussions regarding telecommunications infrastructure, customer service protocols and legal or investigative reporting. For general writing, simpler alternatives are often preferred, but for technical accuracy, this phrase remains an industry standard.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

end the call

The most common and neutral way to describe finishing a telephone conversation.

disconnect the call

Used often in technical or operator-based contexts to describe breaking the signal.

hang up

A more common and slightly more informal expression used in daily life.

finish the call

Implies completing the intended purpose of the conversation before ending.

cut the connection

Emphasizes an abrupt or forced ending to the communication.

break the connection

Focuses on the cessation of the electrical or digital link.

drop the call

Usually implies a technical failure rather than an intentional action.

abort the call

Often used in emergency or critical systems when a call cannot proceed.

conclude the conversation

A polite and formal alternative focusing on the dialogue rather than the technical act.

cancel the call

Refers specifically to ending a call attempt before it is fully established.

FAQs

How to use "terminate the call" in a sentence?

You can use it in formal or technical contexts, such as: "The system is designed to "terminate the call" automatically after sixty minutes."

What can I say instead of "terminate the call"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "end the call", ""hang up"", or "disconnect".

Is it "terminate the call" or "end the call"?

Both are correct. "end the call" is more common in general conversation, while "terminate the call" is preferred in technical and professional settings.

What does it mean to "terminate the call" in telecommunications?

In technical terms, it refers to the completion or routing of a call to its final destination, often used when discussing "termination fees" between carriers.